KR20100017685A - Support apparatus to maintain physical geometry of sheet glass and methods of using same - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are devices and methods for supporting glass sheets during a thermal treatment process, such as heat treating, to maintain the physical geometry of the glass sheets. The device can comprise means for separating adjacent glass sheets to prevent them from touching. The separating means can comprise a separation comb having projections and channels configured for receiving the glass sheets, separating rods configured to be positioned between the glass sheets, or a combination of separation combs and separating rods.

Description

Support apparatus to maintain physical geometry of sheet glass and methods of using same

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for supporting glass sheets during a heat treatment process. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus and method for supporting glass sheets to separate adjacent glass sheets to prevent contact and to maintain the physical geometry of the glass sheets during the heat treatment process.

Producers of glass sheets (eg, liquid crystal displays, or “LCDs”, glass sheets) often heat-treat the glass sheets to pre-shrink or compress the glass before loading. The process of shrinking or compressing the glass sheet can be performed at various temperatures that are below the normal strain point of the glass sheet. Compression or densification is performed to minimize the dimensional change of the glass during the processing of the glass sheets' customers.

For example, the glass sheet can be treated at 650 ° C. for a limited amount of time (approximately one hour or so) without affecting the specifications of the physical properties of the glass sheet such as plan and surface quality. Products utilizing this process are polysilicon liquid crystal display (P-si LCD) devices used in high resolution applications. The LCD glass is exposed at relatively high temperatures (eg, above 500 ° C.) during the production process. If the glass sheets were not preshrunk, the sheets would be deformed and adversely affect the quality of the finished display. Preshrinkage should be performed without generating glass chips that may contaminate the glass surface or distorting the glass sheet surfaces through spatially non-uniform heating and / or cooling patterns.

Typically, a "closed cassette" is used to support glass sheets during heat treatment, as described in US Patent Publication No. 2 005/0193772. In addition, "open" or "standard" cassettes are also used in the same applications. In the hermetic cassette supporting method, the multiple glass sheets are fixed in the vertical direction in the sealing portion of the cassette. Glass sheets are supported with transverse and longitudinal supports (ones made of stainless steel). In practice, the glass sheet is supported along the perimeter to maintain physical properties such as warping and surface quality. Glass sheets are typically captured along the entire length of all four sides.

In the open cassette support method, multiple glass sheets are fixed in the longitudinal direction in the cassette. The glass sheet is supported on two sides and bottom sides, respectively, with longitudinal and transverse supports. Like the hermetic cassette support method, glass sheets are supported along their perimeters to maintain physical properties. Both open and closed cassette methods generally minimize the gravity effect during heat treatment.

In all hermetic and open cassette support designs, the glass sheets are contacted along substantially all of the at least three edges. Such contact often causes damage or loss. In addition, the contact supports on all sides can affect the thermal properties of the system. As expected, the concentration of metal mass along each edge may affect the temperature profile at the edge due to the heat transferred through the metal before reaching the glass along the edge and corner. Also, in the support design, debris (including glass particles and chips) occurs at the bottom-edge support, which is very difficult to clean; As a result, the design of these supports can result in significant bottom-plate fragmentation contamination of the glass sheets.

All the aforementioned support designs are made by bending and forming the sheet material (eg stainless steel) in the required assembly. Therefore, these processes are not precise, difficult to manufacture, and costly.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for supporting a glass sheet during heat treatment to maintain the properties and physical geometry of the glass sheet while minimizing extreme temperature gradients and debris contamination along the edges of the glass sheets. have.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for supporting a plurality of glass sheets. In one aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes a support frame and a separator to separate respective glass sheets to prevent contact with adjacent sheets. In another aspect, the sheet separator is a comb base (comb base) defining a longitudinal axis; And a separation comb including a plurality of projections spaced along the comb base and projecting outwardly in a substantially transverse direction from the comb base to the longitudinal axis. In another aspect, adjacent projections define a channel therebetween, each channel being configured to receive a portion of an individual glass sheet, for example a portion of one edge of the glass sheet.

In another aspect, the sheet separators comprise at least one separation rod configured to be positioned between adjacent glass sheets substantially parallel to the plane defined by the respective glass sheets. In another aspect, the separating rod is configured to be positioned proximate one edge of each glass sheet. The device may further comprise a separator for supporting the separation rod.

In another aspect, the sheet separators comprise at least one separating comb and at least one separating rod. In view of the above, it is expected that each first edge of the glass sheets can be separated by at least one separating comb and the second edges of the glass sheets can be separated by at least one separating rod.

In one embodiment, a method for heat treating a plurality of glass sheets is provided. In one aspect, a preferred method includes placing a plurality of glass sheets in an apparatus that includes a support frame and a separator for separating each glass sheets. The method also includes positioning a separator for separating along at least one edge of each glass sheet, placing the apparatus in an oven; And operating the oven to heat the glass sheets.

Additional embodiments of the invention will be addressed in the description of the invention, which can be seen through the embodiments of the invention. In addition, both the general description of the prior art and the following detailed description are preferable examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

Preferred features of the invention will be explained in more detail by the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic view showing a side view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet according to one aspect of the present invention.

2 is a schematic view showing a side view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet according to another aspect of the present invention.

3 is a schematic view showing a side view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet according to another aspect of the present invention.

4 is a schematic diagram showing a front view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet, as shown in FIG. 1, 2 or 3, according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

5 is a schematic view showing a side view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet according to another aspect of the present invention.

6 is a schematic view showing a front view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet, as shown in FIG. 5, according to another aspect of the present invention.

7 is a schematic view showing a side view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet according to another aspect of the present invention.

8 is a schematic view showing a side view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet according to another aspect of the present invention.

9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a front view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet, as shown in FIG. 8, according to another aspect of the present invention.

10 is a schematic view showing a perspective view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet according to another aspect of the present invention.

11 is a schematic view showing a perspective view of an apparatus for supporting a glass sheet according to another aspect of the present invention.

12 is a schematic of a separation comb in accordance with one aspect of the present invention.

13 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional view of a comb frame, according to one aspect of the present invention.

14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a top view of a linear arrangement of a plurality of separating combs in accordance with one aspect of the present invention.

15 is a schematic diagram illustrating a top view of an arcuate arrangement of a plurality of separating combs in accordance with another aspect of the present invention.

The following detailed description of the invention is provided to aid the understanding of the invention. In the latter part, one skilled in the art will be able to apply the various embodiments described herein and obtain the desired results. In addition, the preferred results according to the present invention may be obtained by selecting some features without utilizing other features of the present invention. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will appreciate that variations and applications of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the following detailed description is provided by way of example and not by way of limitation.

As used herein, the terms "a", "an" and "the" may be plural referents unless explicitly indicated. Thus, for example, an indication for one separation comb may include embodiments having two or more separation combs unless they are a particular object.

In the present invention, a range may be expressed as one "about" one particular value or may be expressed as "about" another particular value. Expressed as such a range, another embodiment includes one particular value and / or another particular value. Likewise, using the term "about," it will be understood that when the values are expressed as approximate values, the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be appreciated that the endpoints of each range are important compared to the other endpoints and are independently important as other endpoints.

As used herein, the term "optional" or "optionally" means that a situation or circumstances that are described in succession may or may not occur, and the detailed description does not occur when and when the situation or environment occurs. It includes the case.

As briefly summarized above, in various embodiments, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for supporting a plurality of glass sheets during a thermal treatment process, such as heat treatment. In one aspect of the invention, the apparatus is provided for supporting a plurality of glass sheets. As will be appreciated, a glass sheet according to various aspects of the present disclosure may include one or more edges. For example, the glass sheet may have four edges and may generally have a square, rectangular, trapezoidal, parallelogram or other shape. Optionally, a substantially round, oblong, elliptical glass sheet with one continuous edge may also be provided. In addition, other glass sheets having edges of two, three, five, and the like may also be provided and would be contemplated within the scope of the present invention. Glass sheets of various sizes, varying in length, height, and thickness, will also fall within the scope of the present invention.

In one aspect, the apparatus according to the invention comprises a separator for separating each of the plurality of glass sheets to prevent adjacent glass sheets from contacting each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a separation comb 110 may be provided that includes a comb base 112 defining a longitudinal axis. A plurality of projections 114 spaced apart along the comb base may be projected outward from the comb base. In one aspect, the projections are projected outward in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the comb base. As shown in FIG. 1, adjacent projections may be spaced to define channel 116 therebetween. Each channel may be configured to receive a portion of each glass sheet 104, such as the first edge. In a particular aspect, each channel is at least as wide as the thickness of the glass sheet. Thus, in one aspect, the selected width of the channel can vary depending on the specific thickness of the glass sheet to be supported therein. As can be seen through the present invention, each channel can be configured not only to separate the glass sheet from adjacent glass sheets, but also to support a portion or each edge of the glass sheet.

In one aspect, each projection 114 of the separating comb may have a distal end that includes slanted edges, as shown in FIG. 1. When each glass sheet is inserted into the separating comb, the beveled edges can be used to guide each glass sheet into respective channels. In various respects, any form of projection is possible. For example, in FIG. 3, in one aspect, the separating comb 210 has a projection 214 substantially in the form of a “T”. The proximal ends of the projections may be spaced apart at the first interval, d ₁ , and the distal ends of the projections may be spaced apart at the second interval, d ₂ . In a particular aspect, the second gap is at least as wide as the thickness of each glass sheet. As mentioned above, this spacing may be selected depending on the specific thickness of the glass sheets that must be received within each channel 216. In this way, when each glass sheet is supported by the separating comb 210, the projections must have a shape so that the edge of the glass sheet received by the channel, such as the edge 106b, does not contact the separating comb.

Projections of other forms may be considered within the scope of the present invention, and the projections will be configured to separate the glass sheets to minimize or eliminate contact with the edge located in the channel between adjacent projections. For example, each projection may have faces within a range between the base and peripheral portions of the projection and may have faces that are concave for each channel. Thus, in one example, each channel may be substantially in the form of a soccer ball.

In one aspect, two or more separating combs may be provided to separate one or more glass sheets. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, two or more separation combs 110 including inclined end projections may be used to separate the glass sheets. The first separating comb 110A can be positioned to receive and separate the first edge 106a of the glass sheets, and the second separating comb 110B receives and separates the corresponding second edge 106b of the glass sheets. Can be positioned to. In one aspect, although the first and second edges may be any edges of glass sheets, the first edges may be bottom edges and the second edges may be top edges Can be. In addition, one or more separating combs may be provided to separate the glass sheet at the third 106c and / or fourth edges, such as the side edges of the glass sheets. In the case of glass sheets comprising four edges, two or more separating combs may be used, such as top and bottom edges, top and side edges, bottom and side edges, all side edges, or all edges. A combination of edges may be provided to separate the glass sheet. In addition, two or more separation combs may be provided to separate the glass sheets along a single edge of each glass sheet. For example, a plurality of separating combs can be provided to separate the bottom, top, or side edges of the glass sheets. When each of the plurality of edges is to be separated by a plurality of separating combs, additional separating combs may be provided to support the other edges.

As shown in FIG. 3, in a particular aspect, the first separating comb 110, including the projection of the inclined end, may be provided to separate the glass sheet from adjacent glass sheets along one edge 106a. have. A second separating comb 210 including projections in the form of a “T” may be provided to separate the glass sheet from the other glass sheets along another edge 106b. As mentioned above, the separating combs may be provided in any number, in any combination, and may separate the plurality of glass sheets along all or certain edges of the glass sheets. FIG. 4 shows a front view of a glass sheet supported by two separating combs along the top and bottom edges of the glass sheet, as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3.

In another aspect, other separators may be provided to separate the plurality of glass sheets. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, one or more elongate separating rods 130 may be provided to separate the glass sheets. As can be seen, each separation rod may have a base and a corresponding distal end. In one aspect, each separating rod is configured to be positioned between at least two adjacent glass sheets in a direction substantially parallel to the plane defined by the respective glass sheets. The separating rods may be located proximate the edge of each adjacent glass sheet such as top, bottom or side edges.

In another aspect, separators may be provided to support at least one separation rod. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a support structure 132 may be provided that includes one or more channels 134. Each channel may be configured to receive a portion of each separate rod. For example, as shown in the front view of FIG. 6, the separation rod may be positioned in close proximity and may extend substantially parallel to the first edge 106b of the glass sheet 104. The base and distal ends of the separation rod may extend beyond the adjoining second edge 106c and the third edge 106d. The base of the separation rod may be supported by the first support structure and the distal end of the separation rod may be supported by the second support structure.

As shown in FIG. 7, in one aspect, the first plurality of separating rods 130A is proximate to each of the first edges (eg, bottom edges) of the glass sheets. It may be provided to separate the plurality of glass sheets. The second plurality of separation rods 130B may be provided to separate the plurality of glass sheets proximate each second edge (eg, top edges, but not limited to) of the glass sheets. Each support structure 132 may be provided to support the base and the distal end of the first and second series of separation rods.

As can be seen, some separation rods can be provided and positioned close to various edges of the glass sheets, including top, bottom, side or other edges. In one aspect, one or more separation rods may be provided to separate the glass sheets in proximity to respective bottom edges of the glass sheets, for example as shown in FIGS. 7, 9, and 10. In this regard, one or more supporting plates 140 may be provided such that at least the bottom edges of the glass sheets support some.

As shown in FIG. 5, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the separating rod may have a substantially circular cross section. However, the separating rod may, for example, have an aspherical cross section such as, but not limited to, rectangular, rectangular, oval, triangular, elliptic or other non-spherical shapes and the like.

In various aspects, various separators may be provided to prevent contact of adjacent sheets. As mentioned above, one or more separating combs may be located along one or more edges of the glass sheets. Optionally, one or more series of separation rods may be located proximate one or more edges of the glass sheets. In another aspect, a combination of separation combs and separation rods may be provided. FIG. 5 shows a preferred apparatus comprising at least one separating comb 110 with inclined projections and channels for receiving the bottom edges of the glass sheets. Some of the glass sheets close to the top edges may be separated by a separating rod 130 supported by at least one support structure 132. FIG. 10 schematically illustrates a preferred aspect in which several rows of separation combs may be provided to support and separate the bottom edges of the glass sheets. FIG. 8 shows another preferred apparatus including at least one separating comb 210 with projections in the form of a “T” for separating glass sheets proximate to the top edges. A plurality of separating rods is provided for separating the glass sheets in proximity to their bottom edges. Bottom edges may be supported by one or more support plates 140. 9 shows a front view of a preferred aspect in which several support plates are provided to support the bottom edges of the glass sheets. As can be seen, any combination of separation comb and separation rods can be provided to support all edges or any edges of the glass sheets, but is not limited to the combinations described above.

In one aspect, a plurality of separating combs may be provided and configured to separate the plurality of glass sheets. The plurality of separating combs may be spaced apart from each other along each glass edge. In a particular aspect, the separating combs can be positioned such that the longitudinal axis of each comb base is substantially parallel to each other. In another aspect, the disconnect combs can be connected to each other via a connector. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the comb base 112 of the separating comb can define one or more devices 124 for receiving or filling respective connectors. For example, FIG. 13 shows a side view of some disconnect combs connected by connector rod 122. The connector rod can pass through a corresponding aperture in each adjacent separating comb. Optionally, as is preferably shown in FIG. 10, a connector 222 may be installed, wound or connected to a portion of the separating combs to connect adjacent separating combs.

In one aspect, some separating combs may be connected via a connector to form a comb frame. FIG. 14 shows a preferred comb frame in which some connector rods 122 and some disconnect combs are connected to form an array. According to a particular aspect, the separation combs can be connected such that the corresponding channels 116 of each separation comb form a linear arrangement substantially lying in a conventional plane. The conventional plane may be substantially flat in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the separating combs and parallel to the axis defined by the channels. Thus, as shown in FIG. 14, the glass sheet 104 may be located in corresponding channels of the separating combs and maintain its flat and planar geometry. It will be appreciated that the separation combs may be offset to support the edge of the glass that does not have a linear profile (eg, round edge, but not limited to), while the channels remain in the normal plane. . Thus, the edge can be supported at various parts while the glass sheet maintains its flat and planar geometry.

Optionally, the separating combs can be positioned to form a non-linear arrangement, such as an arcuate arrangement in which the corresponding channels of the separating combs lie in a common arcuate plane. For example, with reference to FIG. 15, the separation combs can be positioned such that each channel is offset from adjacent channels although the longitudinal axis of each comb base is parallel to each adjacent separation comb. In this respect, the separating combs can be positioned in a particular way to influence the geometry of the glass sheets to be separated by the separating combs. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the glass sheet can be formed into an arcuate plane by placing the separating combs in an arcuate arrangement.

According to various aspects, low-expansion materials can be used to make separators so that they rarely experience form deformation during heat treatment (eg, heating and / or cooling). In one aspect, the separating rods may comprise a ceramic. Optionally the separating rods may comprise steel. In another aspect, the separating rods may comprise a nonferrous metal. In one aspect, the separating combs can be made of steel. Other materials can also be used to make the separator and will be included within the scope of the present invention.

In another aspect, the devices may include a support frame 102 as shown, for example, in FIGS. 10 and 11. The support frame may comprise members for defining an open structure. Optionally, the support frame may also include walls defining a hermetic structure. The support frame can be made of a variety of known materials, for example steel or other metals that can withstand high temperatures without deformation. A separating comb can be installed or positioned on the support frame. For example, referring to FIG. 1, the separation comb 110 may include notches at either end configured to receive a portion of the support frame. Optionally, as shown in FIG. 3, the separating comb 210 can include projections extending from the comb base configured to lie on a portion of the support frame.

It will be appreciated that various attempts to install or position the separation comb on the support frame are possible and are not limited to the attempts illustrated in the figures. For example, one or more separating combs may be permanently installed on the support frame or may be removable. Likewise, a support structure 132 configured to support the separating rods can be installed in a portion of the support frame. Optionally, part of the support frame can be made to form the support structure.

Methods for thermally treating a plurality of glass sheets are provided in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. In one aspect, the method includes placing a plurality of glass sheets in an apparatus including a separator for separating the glass sheets. As mentioned above, the preferred apparatus may comprise one or more separating combs comprising a comb base defining a longitudinal axis and a plurality of projections spaced along the comb base. The projections may have the form of inclined distal ends, as shown in FIG. 1. Optionally, the projections may be substantially “T” shaped, as shown in FIG. 3. In another aspect, the projections may have any form to define a channel therebetween where adjacent projections are configured to receive a portion of the glass sheet.

In another aspect, the method includes positioning at least one separation comb along at least one edge of the glass sheets. For example, a glass sheet with four edges can be provided as shown in FIG. 4. The separation comb can be located along the top, bottom, or side edge, or can be located according to a combination of two or more of the above edges. In one aspect, a separate comb can be provided that includes projections at the inclined ends. In this regard, positioning the separating comb along the edges of the glass sheets may include sliding each glass sheet into the respective channels. As mentioned above, the inclined projection can help guide the glass sheet into the respective channels. Optionally, a separate comb 210 may be provided that includes projections in the form of "T". In this regard, the separation comb can be configured to separate glass sheets proximate the first edge. The glass sheets can slide from the side of the separating comb into the channels 216 so that the first edge does not contact the separating comb upon insertion. For example, in some applications, it may be important to avoid substantial contact with the edges of the glass sheet to avoid chips, cracks, or other surface defects or particles, which may affect the quality of the glass sheet. have.

The method may also include positioning additional separating combs along one or more additional edges of the glass sheets. The separating combs may be positioned at regular intervals from one another such that less than the edges of all glass sheets are supported by the separating combs. In this regard, it is possible to lessen the thermal profile of the glass sheet in proximity to the edges as compared to a device supporting all the edges of the glass sheet. Thus, the thermal profile of the glass sheet may remain more uniform through the heat treatment process when the sheet is cooled or heated.

In one aspect, the glass sheets can include a quality area spaced from the peripheral or outer edges of the glass sheet. Conversely, the space between the edge and the feature area may comprise a non-quality area. For example, LCD glass sheets are conventional to have a non-specific area that extends inwardly from glass sheet edges at intervals of about 0 mm to about 25 mm, although other gaps are conventionally known. In some applications, it can be contemplated that only the non-specific area of the glass sheet can be configured to be at least in contact by the separating combs. Thus, the separation combs can be shaped and sized such that the feature area is not in contact.

The method may further comprise placing a second separating comb along the first edge of the glass sheet at regular intervals from the first separating comb. As mentioned above, in some aspects, the plurality of separating combs may be arranged at regular intervals from each other in a substantially linear arrangement. In view of the above, the longitudinal axes of the separating combs may be substantially parallel to each other, and the corresponding channels of each individual separating comb may lie substantially in a common plane. A preferred linear arrangement is shown in FIG. Optionally, the separating combs can be arranged at regular intervals from each other in an arcuate arrangement. In an arcuate arrangement, the longitudinal axes can be substantially parallel to each other, and the corresponding channels of each individual separating comb can lie substantially in a conventional arcuate plane. Preferred arcuate arrangements are shown in FIG. 15.

Positioning the separating combs along the first edge of the glass sheets may include a first step of arranging the combs in a linear arrangement and positioning the glass sheets in the corresponding channels. The positioning may then comprise the step of transferring the combs from the linear arrangement to the arcuate arrangement before or during the heat treatment process. In one aspect, whether the glass sheet is initially positioned in a comb of the arcuate arrangement, or the arcuate arrangement is arranged after receiving the glass sheets, the method corresponds to that the glass sheet corresponds to the normal arcuate plane of the arcuate arrangement Heating the glass sheets sufficiently to assume a profile to make.

Several separating combs can be arranged (eg, in a linear or arcuate arrangement, but not limited to), and can be connected to each other with a connector to form a comb frame. Thus, one edge of the glass sheet can be supported by one comb frame. The second comb frame can be formed by a second plurality of separating combs and can be used to support the second edge of the glass sheet. In another aspect, some comb frames may be connected to each other to form a frame to support substantially each edge of the glass sheet.

In another aspect, the preferred apparatus may comprise one or more elongate separating rods configured to be positioned between adjacent glass sheets in a direction substantially parallel to the plane defined by the respective glass sheets. The method may further comprise positioning at least one separating rod between at least two adjacent glass sheets. The separating rod may be located as close to the first edge of the glass sheets as in a direction substantially parallel to the plane defined by the respective glass sheets. Additional separating rods may be located proximate the further edges of the glass sheets, as described above. In one aspect, the separating rod is located close to the edge of the glass sheet but does not abut the edge and results in less impact on the thermal profile along the edge as compared to in a device supporting all edges of the glass sheet. Will have In various aspects, a combination of separation combs and separation rods may be provided to separate the plurality of glass sheets.

In other respects, the method includes placing the apparatus in an oven. The oven can be operated to heat each glass sheet located in the apparatus. The glass sheets can be heated by convection in one aspect. Optionally, the glass sheets may be heated by radiation, or may be heated by a combination of radiation and convection.

Finally, the present invention has been described in detail by way of specific examples, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various applications may be made without departing from the broad scope and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims of the present invention. Could be.

Claims (42)

Support frame; And A separator for separating the respective glass sheets to prevent contact with adjacent sheets, The sheet separator comprises at least one separation comb, The separating comb may include a comb base defining a vertical axis; And a plurality of projections spaced along the comb base and projecting outwardly in a substantially transverse direction from the comb base to the longitudinal axis, Wherein each projection comprises one base end and a peripheral end having one spacing, Wherein said adjacent projections define a channel therebetween, each channel being configured to receive a portion of the first edge of the individual glass sheet, An apparatus for supporting each of a plurality of glass sheets comprising at least one individual first edge. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of projections are spaced along the comb base at predetermined intervals that are at least as thick as each glass sheet. 2. The projection of claim 1, wherein the projection is substantially "T" shaped, wherein the base ends of the projections are spaced apart by a first interval, the distal ends of the projections are spaced apart by a second interval, and the first interval is two And greater than the first interval. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second interval has a width at least as thick as the thickness of each glass sheet. The comb of claim 1, wherein the at least one separating comb comprises a plurality of separating combs, the plurality of separating combs being configured to be spaced apart from each other along at least first edges of the glass sheets, wherein the longitudinal axes of the respective comb bases are spaced from each other. And the device is substantially parallel. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of separating combs is connected to at least one other separating comb by a connector to form a comb frame. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plurality of separating combs are connected to form a linear arrangement, wherein corresponding channels of each of the plurality of separating combs lie substantially in a conventional plane. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plurality of separating combs are connected to form an arcuate arrangement, wherein corresponding channels of each of the plurality of separating combs lie substantially in a conventional arcuate plane. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the glass sheets comprises a second edge, The apparatus further comprising a first comb frame configured to support the first edges of the plurality of glass sheets and a second comb frame configured to support the second edges of the plurality of glass sheets. . The method of claim 1, wherein each of the glass sheets comprises a second edge, Wherein the separators for separating sheets further comprise at least one long separating rod having a base and a corresponding distal end, wherein the at least one long separating rod is at least in a direction substantially parallel to the plane defined by the respective glass sheets. And at least one elongate separating rod is configured to be positioned proximate to at least second edges of each adjacent glass sheet. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus further comprises separators for supporting at least one long separating rod, A first support structure comprising at least one channel for receiving a base of said at least one elongate separating rod; And And a second support structure comprising at least one channel for receiving the distal end of the at least one elongate separating rod. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first edge is the bottom edge of each glass sheet and the second edge is the corresponding top edge of each glass sheet. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the elongate separating rod comprises one material selected from the group consisting of steel, ceramics, and nonferrous metals. Support frame; And A separator for separating the respective glass sheets to prevent contact with adjacent sheets, The sheet separator comprises at least one elongate separating rod having a base and a corresponding distal end, The at least one elongate separating rod is configured to be positioned between at least two adjacent glass sheets in a direction substantially parallel to a plane defined by the respective glass sheets, The at least one long separating rod is configured to be positioned proximate to at least the first edges of each adjacent glass sheet, An apparatus for supporting a plurality of glass sheets comprising at least one individual first edge. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus further comprises separators for supporting at least one elongate separation rod, A first support structure comprising at least one channel for receiving a base of said at least one elongate separating rod; And And a second support structure comprising at least one channel for receiving the distal end of the at least one elongate separating rod. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the elongate separating rod comprises one material selected from the group consisting of steel, ceramic, and nonferrous metals. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the glass sheets comprises a second edge, and the separator for separating sheets comprises at least one separating comb, The separating comb may include a comb base defining a vertical axis; And a plurality of projections spaced along the comb base and projecting outwardly in a substantially transverse direction from the comb base to the longitudinal axis, Wherein each projection comprises one base end and a peripheral end having one spacing, Wherein the adjacent projections define a channel therebetween, each channel being configured to receive a portion of the second edge of the individual glass sheet. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the plurality of projections are spaced along the comb base at predetermined intervals that are at least as thick as each glass sheet. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the projection is substantially in the form of a “T”, wherein the base ends of the projections are spaced apart by a first interval and the distal ends of the projections are spaced apart by a second interval, wherein the first interval is a second interval. Device characterized in that greater than. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the second interval is at least as wide as the thickness of each glass sheet. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one separating comb comprises a plurality of separating combs, the plurality of separating combs being configured to be spaced from each other along at least second edges of the glass sheets, wherein the longitudinal axes of each comb base are Device substantially parallel to each other. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of separating combs is connected to at least one other separating comb by a connector to form a comb frame. 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the plurality of separating combs are connected to form a linear arrangement, wherein corresponding channels of each of the plurality of separating combs lie substantially in a conventional plane. 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the plurality of separating combs are connected to form an arcuate arrangement, wherein corresponding channels of each of the plurality of separating combs lie substantially in a conventional arcuate plane. Placing a plurality of glass sheets in one device; Positioning at least one separation comb along at least the first edges of the glass sheets; Placing the device into an oven; And Operating an oven to heat each of the plurality of glass sheets, The apparatus includes a support frame; And A separator for separating each glass sheet to prevent contact with an adjacent sheet, the sheet separator comprises at least one separation comb, The separating comb may include a comb base defining a vertical axis; And a plurality of projections spaced along the comb base and projecting outwardly in a substantially transverse direction from the comb base to the longitudinal axis, Wherein each projection comprises one base end and one end with a spacing, wherein the adjacent projections define a channel therebetween, with each channel receiving a portion of the first edge of the respective glass sheet. Composed, A method of heat treating a plurality of glass sheets comprising at least one individual first edge. The method of claim 25, wherein positioning the at least one separating comb comprises positioning the first separating comb at a spaced interval along the first edges of the glass sheet from the second separating comb. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one separating comb comprises a plurality of separating combs, the method further comprising arranging the plurality of separating combs at intervals spaced apart from each other in a substantially linear arrangement, wherein each And wherein the longitudinal axes of the separating combs are substantially parallel to each other and the corresponding channels of each individual separating comb lie substantially in a common plane. 27. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one separating comb comprises a plurality of separating combs, the method further comprising arranging the plurality of separating combs at intervals spaced from each other in a substantially arcuate arrangement, wherein each separating Wherein the longitudinal axes of the combs are substantially parallel to each other, and the corresponding channels of each individual separating comb lie substantially in a common arcuate plane. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein placing a plurality of glass sheets in the apparatus comprises placing at least a first glass sheet in a first series of corresponding channels and at least a second glass sheet in a second series of corresponding channels. Wherein operating the oven includes generating sufficient heating air to heat the first and second glass sheets, each step assuming a profile corresponding to conventional arcuate planes. How to. 27. The method of claim 25, wherein each of the glass sheets comprises a second edge, and the separators further comprise at least one elongate separating rod having a base and a corresponding distal end, wherein the method is defined by respective glass sheets. And positioning at least one elongate separating rod between at least two adjacent glass sheets adjacent to the second edge of each adjacent glass sheet in a direction substantially parallel to the plane. Placing a plurality of glass sheets in one device; Placing at least one elongate separating rod between at least two adjacent glass sheets proximate the first edges of each adjacent glass sheet in a direction substantially parallel to a plane defined by the respective glass sheets; Placing the device into an oven; And Operating an oven to heat each of the plurality of glass sheets, The apparatus includes a support frame; And A separator for separating the respective glass sheets to prevent contact with adjacent sheets, The sheet separator comprises at least one long separating rod having a base and a corresponding distal end, the at least one long separating rod having at least two in a direction substantially parallel to the plane defined by the respective glass sheets. Configured to be positioned between adjacent glass sheets, The at least one long separating rod is configured to be located proximate to at least first edges of each adjacent glass sheet, A method of heat treating a plurality of glass sheets comprising at least one individual first edge. 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the apparatus further comprises separators for supporting at least one elongate separation rod, A first support structure comprising at least one channel for receiving a base of said at least one elongate separating rod; And And a second support structure comprising at least one channel for receiving the distal end of the at least one elongate separating rod. 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein each of the glass sheets comprises a second edge and the separator for separating sheets comprises at least one separating comb, The separating comb may include a comb base defining a vertical axis; And a plurality of projections spaced along the comb base and projecting outwardly in a substantially transverse direction from the comb base to the longitudinal axis, Wherein each projection comprises one base end and a peripheral end having one spacing, The adjacent projections define a channel between them, The method further forms the step of placing one glass sheet in each channel, wherein each channel is configured to receive a portion of the second edge of the respective glass sheet. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the plurality of projections are spaced along the comb base at predetermined intervals that are at least as thick as each glass sheet. 34. The projection of claim 33, wherein the projection is substantially “T” shaped, wherein the base ends of the projections are spaced apart by a first interval and the distal ends of the projections are spaced apart by a second interval, wherein the first interval is a second interval. Characterized in that greater than. 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the second interval is at least as wide as the thickness of each glass sheet. 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the first edge is a bottom edge and the second edge is a top edge. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the at least one separating comb comprises a plurality of separating combs, wherein the plurality of separating combs are configured to be spaced apart from each other along at least second edges of the glass sheets, wherein the longitudinal axes of each of the comb bases are each other. And substantially parallel. 39. The method of claim 38, further comprising connecting each of the plurality of separating combs with a connector to at least one other separating comb to form a comb frame. 40. The method of claim 39, wherein connecting the plurality of separating combs comprises connecting the separating combs in a linear arrangement, wherein corresponding channels of each of the plurality of separating combs lie substantially in a conventional plane. How to. 40. The method of claim 39, wherein connecting the plurality of separating combs comprises connecting the separating combs in an arcuate arrangement, wherein corresponding channels of each of the plurality of separating combs lie substantially in a conventional arcuate plane. How to. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein placing a plurality of glass sheets in the apparatus comprises placing at least a first glass sheet in a first series of corresponding channels and at least a second glass sheet in a second series of corresponding channels. Wherein operating the oven includes generating sufficient heating air to heat the first and second glass sheets, each step assuming a profile corresponding to conventional arcuate planes. How to.

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